Nato air strike 'kills Afghan family'

[The Northerner]

Source: BBC

A Nato air strike has killed eight members of a family in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia, local officials say.

A provincial spokesman said a couple and their six children died in an air strike on Saturday in the village of Suri Khail, Gurda Saria district.

Nato says it is investigating the reports.

Earlier, the alliance said four of its soldiers had died in separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18224875

[Hissyspit]

1. If it was militant deaths being claimed, it wouldn't be in quotes?

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE84Q01J20120527?irpc=932

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven members of an Afghan family, including a woman and six young children, were killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan, local authorities said on Sunday.

The strike took place in the Gerda Serai district of Paktai late on Saturday, the provincial governor's spokesman, Rohullah Samon, said as foreign and Afghan security forces try to quell Taliban and Haqqani network insurgents active in the area.

"The bombardment by ISAF killed the six children and wife of a man named Shafee," Samon said.

[coalition_unwilling]

2. Um, make that six "terrorists disguised as

children"

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

NATO Unfortunate Incident Press Release Form
(strike-out/fill-in, as needed)

A NATO ground/air/amphibious strike has killed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, several members of a family in the (whatever tiny village name nobody's ever heard of) (latest country we're bringing democracy to) in province of (unpronounceable province name), local officials say.

A provincial spokesman said a (man/woman/couple/grandparents/uncle/aunt) and their 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, several children died in an assault/air/amphibious strike on (SMTWThFS) (morning/afternoon/night) in the village of (whatever tiny village name nobody's ever heard of), (whatever district's name nobody's ever heard of).

NATO (this is an institution speaking to us here, not a person) says it is investigating the latest (grumblings/rumors/complaints/reports).

Earlier, the alliance (the institution is speaking to us again) said 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, several of its soldiers had been (injured/maimed/died) in separate (terrorist/killer-rapist/unwarranted/deranged/psychopathic) attacks in (whatever country in the world we are punishing with freedoms right now) on (all the damned time, just pick a date).

We'll provide updates to the public as soon as things become more clear.

[OKDem08]

4. The US Govt has a term for this: collateral damage

And it continues on no matter who is in office: republican or democrat. Getting the picture yet?

[may3rd]

7. blood money is accepted

by the afghans no matter which letter (D) (R) is after the name of the person in the white house

[EFerrari]

13. What other choices do those people have?

[SGMRTDARMY]

9. I saw enough "collateral damage" in Vietnam

to know that all it does is turn the citizens we were trying to help against us, we need to get the fuck out of
Afghanistan and let them determine their own destiny.

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Yeah, the picture is...

we should have never gone there (Bush) and we should have gotten out long ago (Obama). These people have never been defeated. It is a big stinking money pit where the arms producers make tons of money, and we get nothing to show for it (except for creating future terrorists)

[cstanleytech]

5. You know what I find odd is how often we are hearing such claims.

I mean sure I can well imagine its happened atleast once or twice but lately it seems every time there is some sort of air strike the claims that a "family" or "children" were killed are being made pretty quickly.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

12. Gee. I guess that's what happens when you bomb a village...

[cstanleytech]

19. Sure, maybe decades ago however they are supposed to have more accurate weapons

not to mention satellite imagery yet we are still hearing frequent claims of civilians being killed.
There are of course a few reasons why we could be hearing of them or a combo of reasons and they are
#1 the military is extremely inept
#2 someone is providing false intel
#3 some of the reports of civilians killed is false

I'm leaning more towards option #1 personally but I cant completely rule out the other two alltogether.

[truth2power]

6. Not to worry. We'll just give the survivors a pile of cash and call it good...

Because money solves all problems in this land of the free market. Just ask Jamie Dimon.

Oh...what's that you say? There don't seem to have been any survivors of this little fuck-up? Well, there ya' go. Problem solved.

This is NOT my country!

* * *

And what's this little throw-away line..."Earlier, the alliance said four of its soldiers had died in separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday."

So, was the murder of that whole family some sort of payback? Just asking...

[may3rd]

8. Why are there never any follow up stories as to what the families do with the blood money ?

Seriously,
why can't we follow that money trail?
Have they used it to improve their lives,
what have they spent it on ect.

Is it such a moot point nobody cares to know ?

odd indeed

[SGMRTDARMY]

10. Nobody fucking cares

you know, out of sight, out of mind.
We just need to get the fuck out of Afghanistan NOW.

[may3rd]

11. that's because people are idiots and need the knee jerks to tell them what they should know

If it wasn't for Face Book, I wouldn't know about the life of people, who have the ability, in Kabul share to the outside world

[gratuitous]

14. So, what are acceptable expenditures?

Xbox360 gaming system? A new car? Manicure?

What's an unacceptable expenditure?

[SGMRTDARMY]

16. What's an unacceptable expenditure?

This fucking war is. Bring the troops home now.

[truth2power]

15. That we would offer them money at all is an obscenity! ...

Somewhere there's a Hell....

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Collateral damage...

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Iraq/Suffer_the_ChildrenII_Iraq.html

This is American foreign policy in action, and you will never see it on the news

On edit: I am sorry, but it makes me sick how callously the term "collateral damage" is thrown around